The United Nations has identified the COVID-19 pandemic as the largest global disruption of education in history. Collaborative and hands-on learning activities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics were particularly challenging to maintain during this period. Future large-scale disruptions of schools are considered likely, leading to questions about how educators can be better prepared. Since 2019, the REACH program has worked with schools in Montana, Idaho, Alaska, and Hawaii to educate students about air quality and health. The program also provides a framework and support for teachers to incorporate rudimentary student-led scientific field research in middle and high school science courses. Through student and teacher surveys, we inquired about how the pandemic affected program experiences during the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 school years. Responses from 416 students and 31 teachers showed both difficulties and adaptive capacity in implementing the REACH program during COVID-19-related restrictions. It is encouraging to appreciate the resilience of students and teachers as they adapted to emergency remote teaching and learning strategies. However, the extent and the specific kinds of difficulties they encountered may inform efforts to help schools and teachers become better prepared for potential future events that may disrupt in-classroom learning.

The University of Montana's Research Education on Air and Cardiovascular Health (REACH) Program works with teachers to engage high school juniors and seniors in rudimentary real-world scientific research with the goals of improving their understanding of and interest in science, and to increase their interest in science careers. To evaluate the program, mixed-method approaches based on surveys that include both fixed-response and free-response questions for students has been used. Thematic analysis of student written responses to free-response questions provided evaluators with unanticipated student-centered information that was not targeted by the fixed-response questions. The analysis of student responses to free-response questions over a three to four-year period are the focus of this manuscript along with the implications such a STEM outreach program has to environmental and science education.

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Additional informationNotes on contributorsAnna KileyAnna Kiley (anna.kiley@mso.umt.edu) is Outreach Coordinator, David Jones is Education Coordinator, Carolyn Hester is Research Specialist, and Tony Ward is Chair and Professor at the University of Montana, School of Public and Community Health Sciences, Missoula, MT. Michael Coe is Program Evaluation Researcher and President at Cedar Lake Research, Portland, OR.David JonesAnna Kiley (anna.kiley@mso.umt.edu) is Outreach Coordinator, David Jones is Education Coordinator, Carolyn Hester is Research Specialist, and Tony Ward is Chair and Professor at the University of Montana, School of Public and Community Health Sciences, Missoula, MT. Michael Coe is Program Evaluation Researcher and President at Cedar Lake Research, Portland, OR.Carolyn HesterAnna Kiley (anna.kiley@mso.umt.edu) is Outreach Coordinator, David Jones is Education Coordinator, Carolyn Hester is Research Specialist, and Tony Ward is Chair and Professor at the University of Montana, School of Public and Community Health Sciences, Missoula, MT. Michael Coe is Program Evaluation Researcher and President at Cedar Lake Research, Portland, OR.Michael CoeAnna Kiley (anna.kiley@mso.umt.edu) is Outreach Coordinator, David Jones is Education Coordinator, Carolyn Hester is Research Specialist, and Tony Ward is Chair and Professor at the University of Montana, School of Public and Community Health Sciences, Missoula, MT. Michael Coe is Program Evaluation Researcher and President at Cedar Lake Research, Portland, OR.Tony WardAnna Kiley (anna.kiley@mso.umt.edu) is Outreach Coordinator, David Jones is Education Coordinator, Carolyn Hester is Research Specialist, and Tony Ward is Chair and Professor at the University of Montana, School of Public and Community Health Sciences, Missoula, MT. Michael Coe is Program Evaluation Researcher and President at Cedar Lake Research, Portland, OR.

Learn about teacher and stakeholder perspectives on the benefits of the REACH program, which facilitates student participation in research experiences related to air quality.

The Rosaceae crop family (including almond, apple, apricot, blackberry, peach, pear, plum, raspberry, rose, strawberry, sweet cherry, and sour cherry) provides vital contributions to human well-being and is economically significant across the U.S. In 2003, industry stakeholder initiatives prioritized the utilization of genomics, genetics, and breeding to develop new cultivars exhibiting both disease resistance and superior horticultural quality. However, rosaceous crop breeders lacked certain knowledge and tools to fully implement DNA-informed breeding-a "chasm" existed between existing genomics and genetic information and the application of this knowledge in breeding. The RosBREED project ("Ros" signifying a Rosaceae genomics, genetics, and breeding community initiative, and "BREED", indicating the core focus on breeding programs), addressed this challenge through a comprehensive and coordinated 10-year effort funded by the USDA-NIFA Specialty Crop Research Initiative. RosBREED was designed to enable the routine application of modern genomics and genetics technologies in U.S. rosaceous crop breeding programs, thereby enhancing their efficiency and effectiveness in delivering cultivars with producer-required disease resistances and market-essential horticultural quality. This review presents a synopsis of the approach, deliverables, and impacts of RosBREED, highlighting synergistic global collaborations and future needs. Enabling technologies and tools developed are described, including genome-wide scanning platforms and DNA diagnostic tests. Examples of DNA-informed breeding use by project participants are presented for all breeding stages, including pre-breeding for disease resistance, parental and seedling selection, and elite selection advancement. The chasm is now bridged, accelerating rosaceous crop genetic improvement.

Several studies in recent decades have warned that plant breeding capacity in U.S. institutions may be declining, placing our food system at risk. To further understand the status, trajectory, and needs of these programs, a national survey was conducted in 2018. Public-sector plant breeding programs (n = 278) in 44 U.S. states responded to questions about staffing levels, budgets, access to needed personnel, and access to technology for selective breeding. Almost half of program leaders were nearing retirement age. Programs reported significantly declining estimates of hours spent on program activities by program leaders and technical support staff. On average, programs reported devoting 2.78 full-time equivalent (FTE) to plant breeding research in the most recent fiscal year (including all types of personnel); for germplasm enhancement activities and variety development, mean estimated hours per program totaled 1.58 and 2.20 FTE, respectively. The median annual operating budget in the most recent fiscal year was US$150,000; the mean (average) annual operating budget was US$266,562. Budget and FTE means are somewhat skewed toward higher figures because of a few unusually large programs; almost 80% of programs reported annual budgets of US$400,000 or less. Institutional funds, federal competitive grants, and commodity check-off programs accounted for 67% of program budgets. Many programs reported that budget shortfalls or uncertainty "endangered or severely constrained" or seriously constrained their ability to support key personnel, infrastructure and operations, and access to current technology for collecting, analyzing, and applying knowledge from phenotype and genotype data on plant materials in their programs.

The Genome Database for Rosaceae (GDR, https://www.rosaceae.org) is an integrated web-based community database resource providing access to publicly available genomics, genetics and breeding data and data-mining tools to facilitate basic, translational and applied research in Rosaceae. The volume of data in GDR has increased greatly over the last 5years. The GDR now houses multiple versions of whole genome assembly and annotation data from 14 species, made available by recent advances in sequencing technology. Annotated and searchable reference transcriptomes, RefTrans, combining peer-reviewed published RNA-Seq as well as EST datasets, are newly available for major crop species. Significantly more quantitative trait loci, genetic maps and markers are available in MapViewer, a new visualization tool that better integrates with other pages in GDR. Pathways can be accessed through the new GDR Cyc Pathways databases, and synteny among the newest genome assemblies from eight species can be viewed through the new synteny browser, SynView. Collated single-nucleotide polymorphism diversity data and phenotypic data from publicly available breeding datasets are integrated with other relevant data. Also, the new Breeding Information Management System allows breeders to upload, manage and analyze their private breeding data within the secure GDR server with an option to release data publicly.

The complete genome sequences of apple, peach, and diploid strawberry - one member of each of the three main fruit-producing branches of the Rosaceae tree - were available in 2010. Despite this achievement, virtually none of this genomics knowledge was being used to assist breeding efforts of these crops. Four years later, this gap has been bridged, with genetic information routinely used in many US apple, peach, and cherry breeding programs. For example, DNA tests predict apple crispness, peach maturity date, and cherry fruit size, enabling breeders to determine the best parents to combine and the best seedlings to advance. This application significantly reduces the wasted effort to eliminate entirely poor families and reduces the costs to grow and evaluate thousands of seedlings genetically destined to have unacceptable fruit quality or maturity date. This achievement was enabled by international community efforts, including the RosBREED project, funded by the USDA-National Institute of Food and Agriculture Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI). DNA tests are now applied for high-value attributes where the targeted loci explain a large proportion of the trait variation. However, limitations to widespread adoption of these predictive tests still exist. Some limitations are due to lack of knowledge, such as an understanding of genotype by environment (GxE) interactions and loci associated with variation for other valuable attributes. Technical limitations include streamlined phasing of alleles from multiple families of pedigree-connected breeding germplasm and access to suitable commercial service providers.

AIM:The study compared students' perceptions of their clinical learning experiences in a dedicated education unit (DEU) with their experiences in traditional clinical education.BACKGROUND:Unlike traditional academic-instructor models, expert nurses in the DEU provide clinical education to students with faculty support.METHOD:This repeated measures design used student surveys, supplemented by focus group data.RESULTS:Students were more likely to agree that their clinical learning experience was high quality and they had a consistent mentoring relationship during DEU rotations. Students also reported the quality of the unit's learning environment, the leadership style of the nurse manager, and the nursing care on the unit was more favorable in DEUs than traditional units. Consistent with their changed role in DEUs, faculty members were less active in helping students integrate theory and practice.CONCLUSION:These findings provide additional evidence of the value that the DEU model contributes to high-quality clinical education.